Sir, – Donal MacErlaine is incorrect when he asserts that "bus lanes are not for taxis unless they are taking passengers" (September 14th). The taxi industry is very prone to urban myths. The official Manual for Operating in the SPSV Industry (SPSV stands for "small public service vehicles") states: "A taxi can use a normal (with-flow) bus lane only while it is operating as an SPSV – carrying a passenger, on the way to pick up a pre-booked customer, or plying for hire. Taxis must not use bus lanes if they are driving home at the end of a shift, travelling on personal business, or transporting goods only and not passengers."
What puzzles me greatly is why so many private motorists still keep away from part-time bus lanes outside of their hours of operation. Private motorists pay much higher road tax than we taxi drivers do. Having forked out hundreds of euro to use the whole road (when it’s legal to do so), I’m bewildered why far more of them don’t avail of the time-saving benefits of bus lanes out-of-hours. – Yours,
RONAN SCANLAN
Leopardstown,
Dublin 18.